Ask Ian Richardsonhttp://www.askianrichardson.com
Helping Business Owners Market On The InternetTue, 21 Feb 2017 06:48:00 +0000en-AUhourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.914565088Inspirational Posters and Printshttp://www.askianrichardson.com/inspirational-posters-and-prints
http://www.askianrichardson.com/inspirational-posters-and-prints#respondThu, 21 Jan 2016 22:22:05 +0000http://www.askianrichardson.com/?p=40900Here is just a small selection of some Inspirational Posters and Prints I like so I thought I would share them with you and give you the opportunity to purchase some and hang the in your home like I do.

The quotes I have hanging around my home inspire me and many of my visitors every time they are read.

It’s interesting the effect positive mind vitamins can have one your life if you keep feeding them into your mind through your eyes. You may not know the effect they are having, and the effect may not be visible immediately, but over time people around you will notice and comment on how up-beat you always seem to be. I know because I get compliments every day.

So start feeding your mind and spirit with positive energy and experience the difference in your life.

]]>http://www.askianrichardson.com/inspirational-posters-and-prints/feed040900How to create your own amazing graphics without Photoshophttp://www.askianrichardson.com/how-to-create-your-own-amazing-graphics-without-photoshop
http://www.askianrichardson.com/how-to-create-your-own-amazing-graphics-without-photoshop#respondTue, 12 Jan 2016 01:20:18 +0000http://www.askianrichardson.com/?p=40818You, like me, know how tricky it is trying to create your own graphics. This can be particularly true when you don’t know much about Photoshop, or don’t even have the program and have seen how expensive it can be to purchase.

I was struggling with it for days!

I wanted to create a nice looking header for my new Zazzle store but nothing seemed to look good. It doesn’t help the fact that I’m not very artistic and can’t draw to save my life, but I still wanted a nice eye grabbing header that people would like.

I thought about hiring a designer, but it’s just too time consuming trying to find the right one, plus it can be expensive as well.
… I tried to use Paint, but again, I couldn’t think of what to create!

THEN, while searching the net the other day, I came across “The Logo Creator” by Laughingbird Software.

Its amazing!

With Laughingbird Software products, you’ll become the graphics master of your website.

It comes with a ton of templates that helped me create my Zazzle Store Header in a matter of minutes. It has to be THE EASIEST graphics creation package I have ever seen, and it’s costs way less than Photoshop. I’ve even made the new header and logo for this website.

In no time at all – you can have logos, buttons, banners, Youtube and social media graphics …splash pages, thumbnails, coupon graphics and unique cartoon mascots and a whole lot more!

Leave a comment below and let me know what you think of it. I’d really like to hear about some of the creations you have made.

Would it be going too far to say I love it?

Till next time,

Ian

P.S. Here’s a link to my Zazzle Store if you want to see the header I created in a few minutes after purchasing The Logo Creator.

]]>http://www.askianrichardson.com/how-to-create-your-own-amazing-graphics-without-photoshop/feed040818Living Within a Budget, It’s Easier Than You Thinkhttp://www.askianrichardson.com/living-within-a-budget-its-easier-than-you-think
http://www.askianrichardson.com/living-within-a-budget-its-easier-than-you-think#respondSun, 03 Nov 2013 00:07:49 +0000http://www.askianrichardson.com/?p=536I’ve had my fair share of ups and downs through my life, at one stage I was living on welfare and remember I had to visit my local St Vincent De Paul to get a food hamper just to make it through to my next payment. So I know it can be quite difficult to live on very little money, but the good news is it’s possible as long as you budget.

Now I know you might cringe at the idea of having to “budget” your living, but it’s the only way to make sure you will have enough stored away for that rainy day, and believe me, that rainy day WILL COME.

So the first task is to actually make your budget, which really isn’t all that hard. It’s a simple matter of adding up all your yearly expenses, dividing them by the frequency by which you get paid, getting over the initial shock (because there will be a shock), then adjusting things a little to make sure you can manage.

OK, give yourself a pat on the back! You’ve made your budget and you are ready to get started implementing it. Living within a budget can be intimidating to say the least, you know where your money is going and to whom, but how do you live with what is left over?

Living within a budget takes a bit of effort on your part.

Here are 6 ways you can make living within a budget work.

Seasonal sales are one way to keep your spending on target and still get what you need. Christmas, Easter, Halloween and back to school sales usually start weeks ahead of schedule. You can get some super cheap deals if you can manage to wait it out and get to the sales a few days before they end.

Find out what days your grocery stores mark down these products (usually Tuesdays) and be there early to get the best choices. You shouldn’t buy more than you can use since tossing food is a waste of your money.

Keep an eye on your favorite grocery stores and figure out the best times and days to shop. Knowing when you’ll find the best selection at the lowest prices can make quite a difference in your grocery budget. I use this method all the time to buy a cake or some treat I know they mark down at night to sell, otherwise they will toss it out when the store closes.

Shop on the last and first days of the sale. Shopping on the first day means you can pretty much get what you want at lower prices. On the other hand, waiting until the last day may mean the prices will drop even lower so the store can get rid of the products. The selection might be limited, but you can really score some great deals by waiting it out. Remember, they are only deals if you really need the stuff.

Shopping online is one simple way to budget your money. Because you are shopping in your own home, there is no rush and you can compare products and prices until you find just what you are looking for at a price that fits your budget. Be sure to budget shipping costs too. I often do this with eBay. I’ll see a product I might want in a catalogue or on the TV and 9 times out of 10 I’ll be able to find that same product for a lot less on eBay. Sometimes I’ve even decided not to but it during tht time it has taken me to research and find the item, thus stopping an impulse buy.

Make a list of all the items that might fit within your budget, include their prices. This way you get the deals and you know exactly how much you will be spending.

Living within a budget takes a bit of effort on your part. Knowing when you’ll find the best selection at the lowest prices can make quite a difference in your grocery budget.

You can use social media strategically, automate a lot of it, and get rid of the time wasters, but what you can’t or should not do is give up the conversation.

The trick is framing your conversation within your niche.

Believe it or not, answering questions, and giving away information free on social media networks like LinkedIn on there “answers” area can go a long way toward creating good will, which can lead to clients who want you enough to pay the rates you’re asking, or site visitors who are already primed to buy what you recommend. By giving of yourself it happens almost magically.

Automation is great for ending time wasting tasks of posting new blog posts, new articles, and outside information. It frees up your time so that you can have a real conversation with potential clients in all of your social networks whether it is Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn or a forum you enjoy. Spending time having real conversations and answering questions will establish you as an expert, bring traffic to your blog, and provide you with valuable information and connection to your target market.

If you want to make social media truly useful so that it provides a return on investment (ROI) then you have to join in the conversation. If everyone automates everything and only applications and Virtual Assistants are participating in the media then it loses the social aspects and eventually the value will plummet. No one who can make decisions or offer value will be watching if it’s all automated.

The best person to communicate your vision to the world is you.

The myth of the four hour work week is that you don’t have to participate at all. It’s true you probably can outsource your entire life, but where is the joy in that? You might save time, but ultimately you lose connection to the people you wanted to connect with in the first place when you started your business. Certainly you had a goal that involved connecting with someone or helping someone. Never forget why you started your business in the first place.

I hope this helps you and I hope that you put what you’ve learned into action. Also please, please spread the word and share these ideas with someone you think will benefit from this information.

BTW: If you need help with Social Media and Internet Marketing for your business or product, please give me a CALL at +61 2 80056006.

Let me know what you think about the video and information. I will be doing a lot more of these and would love to read your comments. If you have a particular question you would like me to ask please enter it on the Ask Ian page.

Thanks and have a fantastic day.

]]>http://www.askianrichardson.com/your-business-needs-a-social-media-manager-to-survive-and-prosper/feed6486Spy On Who Is Sending You An Email In Gmailhttp://www.askianrichardson.com/spy-on-who-is-sending-you-an-email-in-gmail
http://www.askianrichardson.com/spy-on-who-is-sending-you-an-email-in-gmail#commentsThu, 18 Aug 2011 08:49:42 +0000http://www.askianrichardson.com/?p=473How would you like to spy on the person sending you an email inside Gmail?

In the video below I show you how you can using a brilliant plugin for Gmail from Rapportive.

So as you can see, this little addition to Gmail helps you know more about the person sending the email.

I hope this helps you and I hope that you put what you’ve learned into action. Also please, please spread the word and share these ideas with someone you think will benefit from this information.

BTW: If you need help with Social Media and Internet Marketing for your business or product please give me a CALL at +61 2 80056006.

Let me know what you think about the video and information. I will be doing a lot more of these and would love to read your comments. If you have a particular question you would like me to ask please enter it on the Ask Ian page.

I’d like to preface this article with some thoughts I had while writing it and re-reading it today.

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about MY online presence and the web sites I have as part of my business and I’ve realised I need to start demonstrating the things ALL businesses SHOULD do to promote their business using the Internet (including me). So, after this article is published, I will be doing my best to post at least one video per week for the remainder of this year.

I’m doing this for two reasons.

So my websites start getting more visitors to my sites, and I’ll show you in the first video how low my visitor numbers are

To show you a number of different ways videos can be produced even if you don’t want to get in front of the camera.

That being said as my public declaration I’ll now move on the the Top 10 YouTube Marketing Tips for Small Business.

Youtube is an excellent advertising tool for any small businesses. You can register an account for free and upload your videos for the whole world to see.

It might be a bit daunting at first, especially if you’re not sure how you can use YouTube to help your business. To help you out, here are my top 10 YouTube marketing tips on how to use Youtube to improve your business.

#1 Make it Interesting

The rule of thumb, YouTube viewers love anything that’s interesting. Funny, attention grabbing or unique videos often perform better than sales or pitching videos. Have your heard or seen the Gary Brolsma, the Numa Numa Kid? It’s a great example of how videos can go insanely viral.

#2 Time Yourself

Whatever you have to say, you only got around 5 minutes or less to present it to the viewers. Time your video so you get to say everything you want in that first 5 minutes. Anything longer and you’re viewers attention will probably be on something else.

#3 Easy Exposures

YouTube is also an excellent place to get more exposure for your website. You can just post the links within your video’s description. Not only will you get a lot of traffic this way, you’ll also get a strong backlink from YouTube!

#4 Save Your Own Bandwidth

YouTube can be embedded anywhere inside your website and the best part about this is it doesn’t cost you any bandwidth. Bandwidth is not cheap and if you don’t watch your bandwidth usage, you might just find your site suspended until you either pay for more bandwidth or wait for the new month when your bandwidth usage resets.

#5 Demos

Rather than telling people what your product can do, why not show it instead? In malls or stores, you can get a demonstration done live in front of you, but what about online? You use videos, of course! And what better place to put your video than on YouTube, the world’s largest video sharing site.

#6 Reviews

Putting up a YouTube review is more interesting than writing an article about it. It can be as simple as creating a PowerPoint presentation for a product and recording it with your voice. A proper YouTube review can capture more attention than a text review.

#7 Advertisements

You can create your own ads or commercials and post it up on YouTube. Strangely enough, people actually like to watch ads and commercials on YouTube, and some of the most viral videos there are actually commercials. You just need a bit of creativity, a video camera and you’re good to go.

#8 Create Your Own Channel

You can group all your video into one channel and keep posting interesting videos about your business, work, just about anything you want. When someone watches one of your videos, they’ll be able to see all the other videos in your channel. They can also subscribe to your channel so whenever you upload a new video, they’ll be immediately notified.

#9 Don’t Be Afraid to Experiment

If you check out on Tipp-Ex’ YouTube video, you will notice how it is different from the rest. You can experiment with new ways to present a video so you can draw people’s attention by having something new.

#10 SEO Benefits

As mentioned before, you can add links in the video descriptions to your website and the popular video will appear on the top search page. This actually does 2 things. First, you get a valuable backlink from YouTube, and secondly the extra traffic you get from YouTube will also be redirected to your website whenever they click on the link.

Also keep in mind that when I do video marketing I don’t only post to YouTube, I post to a total of nearly 30 video sites giving you a lot more than one back-link and one set of viewers to see your video. I’ll show you all this in the videos to come so you get a better “picture”

]]>http://www.askianrichardson.com/top-10-youtube-tips/feed3320Top Social Networking Sites – And Why They’re On Tophttp://www.askianrichardson.com/top-social-networking-sites
http://www.askianrichardson.com/top-social-networking-sites#commentsFri, 15 Oct 2010 09:05:58 +0000http://www.askianrichardson.com/?p=285Social networking sites are nothing new. They’ve been around for about a decade, but have exploded in popularity in recent years largely thanks to MySpace and Facebook. There are now hundreds and thousands of social networking sites around, so let’s take a look at the top social networking sites and why they’re sitting so comfortably at the peak.

Facebook

Facebook is without a doubt THE top social networking sites right now. Originally intended for college students only, it opened up to the public and got incredibly popular within a short period of time.

Facebook is what made social networking what it is today and spawned the “Facebook Generation” which not only consists of the younger generation, but also the seniors. Lots of adults and even politicians who have shunned away from computers and the Internet have taken a deep interest in Facebook.

Maybe it is because you can share a lot of things on Facebook, user friendly and you can easily find new friends in there through your current friends. Or maybe it is because you can connect to apps on Facebook and play games while keeping up with your friends.

Whatever the reason is, there are more than 500 million people who are active in Facebook and they have an average of 130 friends. If you’re not on Facebook yet but your grandpa is, then chances are he has more friends than you.

Twitter

Twitter is somewhat unique within the top social networking sites list. The creators of Twitter recognized that some people do not have a lot to say and don’t want the hassle of writing a full length posts about it. So they let users to say whatever on their mind with 140 words or less. Then people can follow your tweets and sometimes retweet your post.

Twitter is also considered as a micro-blogging platform since no messages can be more than 140 words at a time.

MySpace

Before Facebook and Twitter took over, MySpace was the top social networking site. You could say it was more of a social blog. Users get their own page and they can do certain customization on it like changing background, adding mp3 player or changing the fonts. Anyone can visit your MySpace page but you can add restrictions to those who are not confirmed as your friends.

Even now there are still users who prefer MySpace over Facebook or Twitter. They feel that the customizable page have the edge over Facebook.

MySpace was originally intended for people to share their music and for indie bands to get together.

Friendster

Friendster is one of the most popular social networking website before Facebook or MySpace. In fact, it was one of the earliest social networking sites that were truly successful. Launched in 2002, the concept is similar to Facebook where it allows users to find and connect with old friends while at the same time being able to find new friends without having to meet face to face.

Although at first it may seem as if Friendster had completely dropped off the radar after Facebook, the truth is it still has a very strong presence in Asia.

NOTE: If you have any questions about “building an effective and powerful web presence” or if you want me to do this for your business, please give me a call 0406-532-730 or ask me in the comments below. I’m thinking I’ll do some videos soon and will probably start answering some question via video and posting them here. Let me know what you think, please comment below and please don’t be shy.

Take care and have a wonderful day.

Ian Richardson

]]>http://www.askianrichardson.com/top-social-networking-sites/feed22855 Top Social Marketing Strategieshttp://www.askianrichardson.com/5-top-social-marketing-strategies
http://www.askianrichardson.com/5-top-social-marketing-strategies#commentsTue, 05 Oct 2010 09:54:14 +0000http://www.askianrichardson.com/?p=274Social marketing has been around since the time people started living in groups. It slowly expanded as we improved our ability to send messages faster and further. When the Internet came, the whole world was suddenly opened to you.

People still use social marketing to improve their business as it still works even though the playing field is different. You just need to adapt yourself with these top 5 social marketing strategies.

Focus

The crowds might be a lot bigger but it’s still a community no matter how big or small. People sharing the same interest or ideas will get together and form a community and their interest becomes what you would call a niche.

In order to break into a niche, first you need to become a part of that community. What is acceptable in one community may not be acceptable in another. That is why you need to do your research before getting into any new community and to do that, you need to focus one just one at a time.

First Come, First Served

People love new things. That’s why people are always following the latest fads whether or not it’s actually any better.

But you can use this to your advantage. Found something new? Be one of the first to spread it out.

You can also ride on the latest fad. For example, World of Warcraft, one of the biggest online multiplayer games, is about to release its latest expansion pack, Cataclysm. You can be one of the first to come up with screenshots, latest release date information or maybe one of the first guides covering the new areas opened in the expansion.

Lets Be Friends

People generally dislike salesmen. When they see someone approaching their homes with a suit and a vacuum in their hand, they would usually close all the curtains, turn off their TV and hide in the room. But when you approach them as your friend, people are more willing to listen to you even if you are trying to sell to them.

Be friends with the members of the community first. Once you have their trust and respect, you will be able to get them to listen to you better compared when you are a stranger to them.

Viral Marketing

People love to share funny or interesting things. That’s why funny videos on YouTube get spread around really fast. That’s what you call a viral effect.

You’ll want to get viral marketing working for your own business as well. After all, viral marketing is one of the most powerful ways to get word out and to drive truckloads of traffic back to your site.

There are many ways you can do viral marketing – give away a free controversial report or put up a funny or amazing looking video.

The Word Is… Multi Media

It’s not easy to get someone’s attention and keeping it for long. A long block of text gets boring after the first few paragraphs and the audio recording slowly turns into background noise.

The best way to keep someone engaged in your message is by using multiple different media together. That’s why the use of videos has been gaining popularity over the years. But a simple video with nothing but text won’t do you any good as well. You must have a combination of both audio and visual your viewer will just click on the close button within a few seconds.

]]>http://www.askianrichardson.com/5-top-social-marketing-strategies/feed1274Huge GVO Live Presentation This Saturdayhttp://www.askianrichardson.com/huge-gvo-live-presentation-this-saturday
http://www.askianrichardson.com/huge-gvo-live-presentation-this-saturday#respondSat, 02 Oct 2010 00:08:41 +0000http://www.askianrichardson.com/?p=271Have you ever considered using live online webinar/conferencing technology?

There a literally hundreds if not thousands of professions that could use this technology.

Schools and Universities.
Professional sales training for team members all over the country or world.
Professional consultations with prospects and clients.
Online live training for clients in any field you can imagine.

And that’s just a couple of ideas of the top of my head.

To get an even better idea of what this live conferencing system can do for you and your needs there is an excellent live presentation and question time using the exact same system tomorrow.

Tomorrow’s call on Saturday October 2nd at 11am Eastern (USA Time) is going to be HUGE!!!! >>>CLICK HERE at that time<<<

I fully expect to have 500 people or more there so you better make sure you get in early!!

Another thing to consider before I go.

Maybe you don’t have a need for a system like this, but do YOU know someone that might???

If so then YOU could make some extra money by simply becoming a member and introducing it to people you know that CAN use a system like this.

More about that in the call tomorrow.

Have a fantastic weekend, see you on the call tomorrow and don’t forget to CLICK HERE for access.